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Doctrine of Flame
The Doctrine of Flame is a name often given to the worship of the Lord of Fire. In its many denominations it is one of the largest and most important world religions. The Blazing Temple See Blazing Temple The orthodox faith is headquartered in the Blazing Temple, historically located on the border between Lyradis, Guilder and the Heartwaste, though there is a second Temple at Caloxdur in Calorum, where the Avatar resided for much of the fifth century. In the absence of the Avatar - and when the Avatar shows no inclination to lead the faith - the First Brother of the Temple is the effective head of the faith. On two known occasions, during the time of Greta Cardion Divinorum and Hushyarr, the First Brother and Avatar have come into open conflict over matters of theology, with each party claiming to represent the true will of the Lord and in some cases excommunicating the other. History Prehistory During the early-mid fourth century the Doctrine of Flame was the largest religion on the central continent. It however had a controversial reputation due to the actions of previous Avatars and extremists within the faith. Groups associated with the Doctrine warred openly in Celero, blackening the name of the faith for generations to come and leading to a long-lasting suspicion within that kingdom. In the 330s rival faiths sprung up in or near the Doctrine's heartlands, as a new generation of leaders sought to challenge the established order. The Ashmarist and Radurjic faiths recognised the Lord of Fire but only as part of a greater whole, while the Calorum Reformation claimed authority over the church as a whole while recognising the Lord's supremacy. The new Blazing Avatar, Yosi Cedro, made some progress in rehabilitating the Doctrine in the eyes of some rulers but nevertheless the faith was in retreat. Adam and Paco Yosi was assassinated in 358, which prompted the Great Tellurian War. In the aftermath a power struggle erupted between different branches of the Doctrine, in particular between First Brother Adam and Chief Inquisitor Paco. Adam was initially more successful at securing political support from secular rulers, while Paco managed to locate two of the Avatar candidates and raise them himself. In an attempt to heal the divisions in the church, the leaders of the Triumvirate tricked Adam into attending an event alongside Paco and his candidates and performed a ritual which would force selection of the new Avatar. The ritual was successful in that Greta Cardion Divinorum was revealed as the Avatar, but disastrous in that many onlookers - and one of the candidate Avatars - were killed or badly injured. Over the following years Adam became more insular and mistrusting of secular rulers, while Greta chose to absent herself from politics, not challenging Adam's authority. During the Red Earth Uprising hordes of militants began to converge upon the Temple, leading many to wonder if Adam was a leader of the movement or simply a possible victim. Liam, King of Lyradis, ventured to the Temple to discover the truth and found that Adam had captured Paco and was planning to sacrifice him. Liam attempted to intervene but was wounded and himself nearly killed, eventually rescued by the arrival of Greta, who banished Adam - but was also lost to the world herself. Paco succeeded Adam as First Brother but the church had lost much of its influence and his voice was largely drowned out by many new faiths across the world. The new Avatar, Nissa Rodilsingya, did succeed in temporarily reuniting the orthodox faith with that of the Calorum Reformation, but in consequence became effectively a puppet of the Calorum government, with little influence outside that kingdom's borders. The Radurjic Schism See Hushyarr Controversy Nissa too was assassinated in 470 and within ten years was succeeded by Hushyarr, a She'er from the far east and a reincarnation of Mosi. Hushyarr's initial revelation was however interrupted by the combustion of Elwyr Jarrow, himself a former Avatar candidate, and this led to mistrust of the new Avatar. Paco died soon afterwards, being followed as First Brother by the more activist and evangelical Charles Calciver. Charles and Hushyarr soon disagreed about matters of faith, with Hushyarr wanting to incorporate the church more fully into the fold of Radurja and Charles believing the Lord of Fire to be supreme over all other deities. The followers of the Doctrine largely sided with Charles and Hushyarr's attempts to integrate the two by direct action and conversion won him little support. Charles ultimately excommunicated Hushyarr and began the search for a new Avatar candidate himself. Spread and Division Under the guidance of Charles and his successor Rodrigo the Doctrine established itself more firmly within the Empire of the Silver Moon and the Sulvan Primarchy. The late fifth century saw a great shift in the southern fortunes of the Doctrine with the establishment of Panshén as the official religion of the Salterri Imperium. While this represented a great triumph in that the Lord of Fire would now be followed in the Imperium - long hostile to the Doctrine - it also saw the Kingdom of the Carmine Sea, the Temple's most powerful ally for decades, leave the orthodox fold and adopt the new faith. Nevertheless the Carmine kings continued to maintain they were good followers of the Doctrine and merely acknowledged the important but secondary role played by the other major figures of Panshén. First Brother Ramzi Ramzi Uta, a former Tzaltec slave, was elected to succeed Rodrigo. He closed the Temple off to visitors, sequestering himself with the two identified Avatar candidates (the third was abducted and killed before he could reach the Temple). After several years he finally reopened the gates in 568, and declared that Tzetultep was the true form of the Lord. He immediately conducted a ritual using the Lord's power to strike down Stuyvesant, who was believed to have been responsible for the death of the Valterran Avatar, and fuelled by the sacrifice of almost one hundred Brothers and Sisters of the Temple. Unorthodox Denominations Calorum Lord of Fire Reformation See Calorum Lord of Fire Reformation The Reformation was established by Combulei Divinorum in the early fourth century. On most matters of doctrine it is nearly identical to the orthodox faith but they disagree about authority: the Reformation holds that the High Priest of Calorum has standing equal equal to or greater than the Blazing Avatar following a vision granted to Combulei. The Temple acknowledges the learning of the High Priest but rejects their claims to authority and the related practice of Brooders. Panshén See Panshén Founded in the late sixth century, Panshén is the official religion of the Salterri Imperium and represents a fusion of Doctrine of Flame theology with that of Hailings of the Silver Sea and the Wyrm Below. The Triad of Flame, the senior cleric of the Lord of Fire within Panshén, considers it to be a branch of the orthodox faith and welcomes the counsel of the First Brother and the Blazing Avatar. Trinacrian Paganism Believed to have been an ancient form of Lord of Fire worship that at some stage during their long separation diverged from orthodoxy, Trinacrian paganism was essentially a cult of sun worship, with a prophesied figure - the Defier of the Dark - set to lead them out of the long winter. It was later almost fully absorbed into the orthodox Doctrine and later Panshén, though it retained its reverence for the Defier (identified as Elwyr Jarrow and his successors as king). Category:Organised Religions